Today, MP Iqra Khalid joined the YMCA of Greater Toronto at Loyola Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga to recognize the impact that Canada's National School Food Program will have for families in the Region of Peel.

This program is part of Canada’s Budget 2024 and will launch with a target of providing meals to 400,000 more kids every year. This is in addition to those who are already served by existing school meal programs. The National School Food Program represents a $1 billion commitment from the Government of Canada to build a generational program that will help ensure no child goes to class hungry. Once the program is established federally, it will be delivered in partnership with the Provinces and Territories through established organizations and local schools.

The YMCA Student Nutrition Program feeds 50,000 students across almost 300 schools in the Region of Peel each year.

Every child deserves the best possible start, and parents deserve to have the support they need to ensure it. That’s why, since 2015, Canada has made generational investments like the Canada Child Benefit, which provides families with up to nearly $8,000 per child, each year. Over the last eight years, this program has lifted more than 650,000 children out of poverty and only continues to help support children and families in need across the Region of Peel and all of Canada.

The National School Food Program builds on this vital work to provide a safety net for kids in need. Studies show that a lack of access to food disproportionately impacts children from lower-income families, as well as racialized and Indigenous communities. With this program, Canada is ensuring that more students, no matter their background or financial status, can have healthy food on their plates.

Quotes:

“The National School Food Program really is the product of tireless collective advocacy by parents, school faculty, and non-profits that maximize every penny and dollar to feed our children. I am so proud that our Government of Canada is stepping in to help fill the funding gaps and feed thousands more students every year.”

               - Iqra Khalid, Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Erin Mills

“The introduction of the National School Food Program is an indication that the federal government is taking the health and well-being of Canada’s young people seriously. No child should go hungry. This investment will support existing school food programs across Peel region, allowing us to reduce hunger and support improved academic outcomes for even more students.”              

- Lesley Davidson, President & CEO, YMCA of Greater Toronto

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